Before we talk about Australian Working Holiday Visas you should know that this page may contain affiliate links. This means, at no additional cost to you, I may receive a small commission if you purchase something through a link. I only give product recommendations for things I enjoy. Please feel free to check out my full policy/disclaimers!

Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been talking about doing a Working Holiday Visa in Australia for years. Working Holiday Visas offer a chance to travel a country while working to supplement your adventures. What could be a better way of seeing a country as massive as Australia?

While I’ve been talking about it for years, I didn’t put a lot of effort into learning as much as possible about how to make it a reality. I kept putting it off and thinking that I had more time. But, these visas have age restrictions! That means you can’t get them forever. In this post, I will tell you about all of the steps I took to get a Working Holiday Visa and make my dream a reality. That way, you can make it a reality too!

Last year, I decided to finally buckle down and cross this item off of my bucket list. After a discussion with my partner, he decided that he would like to join me. And the adventure began!

If this is a bucket list item for you then there is no time like the present to get it done!

What You Need to Know About Australian Working Holiday Visas

Australia offers two different working holiday visas that sound very similar. One is the Australia Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417) and the other is the Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462). The deciding factor in which visa you would choose is where you are from.

For example, I am from Canada so I am in Australia on a Working Holiday Visa Subclass 417.

If you are from any of these countries, you would be too:

Belgium

Canada

Republic of Cyprus

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Hong Kong

Republic of Ireland

Italy

Japan

Republic of Korea

Malta

Netherlands

Norway

Sweden

Taiwan

United Kingdom

To be eligible for this visa you must meet the following requirements:

The applicant must be between the ages of 18-30 years old. Unless you happen to be from Ireland or Canada then the age is extended until 35 years old.

Your passport must be valid for the duration of your visa.

You have not previously had a Subclass 462 visa.

There is no one dependent on you (Like children).

The applicant must have good character and no criminal record. Or, Australian debts.

Finally, you must have $5000 to support yourself once you arrive.

Photo Credit: Adobe Stock

You’ll be looking at the Work and Holiday Visa Subclass 462 if you are from:

Argentina

Austria

Chile

China, People’s Republic of

Czech Republic

Hungary

Indonesia

Israel

Luxembourg

Malaysia

Peru

Poland

Portugal

San Marino

Singapore

Slovak Republic

Slovenia

Spain

Thailand

Turkey

United States of America

Uruguay

Vietnam

The eligibility requirements are very similar for this visa and include:

Applicants must be between the ages of 18-30 years old.

Again, an eligible passport.

You may not have previously had a visa under subclass 417 (Discussed above).

No children!

Meet the education and English requirements. These may vary depending on your passport.

You must have the support of the government in your home country.

You must have a suitable amount of money to support yourself. For instance, $5000 and enough to buy a return ticket home.

Both of these visas will allow you to work and travel to Australia for up to 12 months. During that time, you are allowed to leave Australia and return as many times as you like. If working while on the visa you cannot have the same employer for more than six months.

The availability of this visa made it possible to cross this item off my bucket list. These visas exist for you to travel and work! How convenient.

Once I figured out which visa to get, the next hurdle was the application process.

Photo Credit: Adobe Stock

Working Holiday Visa Application Process

At the time of writing, my visa fee was $450. This has to be paid at the time of the application. The Australian government’s website states that it can take up to 35 days to be approved for this visa. However, both my partner and I were accepted almost immediately.

That being said, I would apply ahead of time. I don’t know how consistent those visa processing times are. Once your visa is approved, you will have up to a year to enter the country. This means that you have plenty of time to apply before you leave.

What do you need to apply?

Your passport needs to be ready to go. You will need the passport number which you will be travelling with. If your passport needs to be renewed then you will have to have done this first.

The visa fees.

$5000 support funds. While proof of this wasn’t necessary, it is required to enter the country so make sure you have it by the time you leave if not the time you apply.

If you have been doing research on visas, you might have noticed that there are agencies willing to handle the application process for a fee. Honestly, the process is so easy that I don’t consider this a good use of money.

At one point, years ago, when I thought I would be solo moving here I did consider using Swap to arrange the visa for me. The reason I was thinking of going with them was on the ground support they offer. It can be handy for finding new friends. But, if you follow these steps then you really shouldn’t need help applying for the visa.

You might be wondering what questions are on the application. First, they will request your basic passport information. All of the answers to these questions can be found on the biodata page of your passport. But, it is basically just your name, passport number, expiry date and where the passport was issued.

There was a question about a health examination. I did not have one and I stated the fact but it didn’t appear to cause any issues.

They ask questions about your usual occupations at home and what work you might be looking for in Australia. Next up is your contact information and some standard health questions. Finally, they want to know if you have a criminal record.

And, that’s basically a wrap! Easy peezy. I printed out my approval form to bring to the airport with me just in case.

Final Thoughts:

There you have it! Here is one of the best ways of long-term travelling to Australia. I am so glad that I finally made the effort to get myself down here. It was well worth it. One of the first things that we did here was a Great Ocean Road trip.

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Before we talk about The Great Ocean Road, you should know that this page may contain affiliate links. This means, at no additional cost to you, I may receive a small commission if you purchase something through a link. I only give product recommendations for things I enjoy. Please feel free to check out my full policy/disclaimers!

The Great Ocean Road is one of the most popular drives in Australia. Unfortunately, this makes the accommodations astronomical! Here are my favourite free stops along the road, to save you money without sacrificing activities.

Along the drive, you will see plenty of roadside turnouts to stop and check out views! I didn’t list any here but I highly recommend pulling over every safe chance you get. Also, don’t forget to look up! You might get lucky and spot some koalas.

When to Visit the Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is most popular during the summer months (November-March). This is when it helps to book accommodation ahead of time. Since, the Great Ocean Road can be done in a weekend, it tends to be quite busy on weekends as well.

Free Stops

Memorial Arch at Eastern View- This Arch is actually a bit of a drive down the Great Ocean Road. Dedicated to the builders, it is worth checking out as you pass by!

To the left, you’ll see the monument for the workers.

Teddy’s Lookout- This is my favourite view along the entire road!

Breathtaking!

Erskine Falls- To break up some of the stunning views, head inland and check out some free waterfalls. Erskine Falls have a 30 metre drop down into lush Greenland.

Marriner’s Lookout- This is another popular lookout that gives captivating views of Apollo Bay.

Castle Cove Lookout- Are you stick of jewel blue waters yet? No? Perfect, then head over to Castle Cove Lookout!

12 Apostles- These are considered the main sight to see along the Great Ocean Road!

Everywhere I go in Australia, someone always tells me about how great the weather was LAST week.

Loch Ard Gorge- Located next to the 12 Apostles, this little view is a great place to have lunch.

The Grotto- The Grotto is a rock pool, which is pretty and less visited than a lot of other stops along the road.

I love a rock pool.

Where to Stay on the Great Ocean Road

Bonus: We found a free campsite called Bill Hill Campground, located just outside of Lorne. This is a good place to stop for a night but as it is near the beginning of the road, you will likely want somewhere else to stay further along.

The Port Campbell Recreation Reserve is a low-cost campground near the 12 Apostles. It is one of the only low-cost options along the road.

For more on Australia, check out my other blog Canadians Down Under, which is all about living in Australia.

Have you ever done the Great Ocean Road? What were your favourite stops?

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Before we talk about Havana, you should know that this page may contain affiliate links. This means, at no additional cost to you, I may receive a small commission if you purchase something through a link. I only give product recommendations for things I enjoy. Please feel free to check out my full policy/disclaimers!

I love Cuba. Havana is filled with splashes of colour and life around every corner. The people are so friendly and contrary to what some might say, there is some great food! Cuba has maintained its integrity and is a world without big corporations. While some might think that the lack of golden arches is a bad thing, I loved it!

In Havana, you can immerse yourself in culture. It will help if you can speak a little Spanish (I like to think that I can) but, we didn’t have difficulty finding people who speak English for the most part.

We had no service or WIFI for our entire stay in Cuba. We knew that this would be an issue before hand so we had planned out everything. MAPS.ME is a great app for offline maps. This is another way that Cuba immerses you in culture and local atmosphere.

Take a break from the world and visit Havana on a budget.

Getting Around Havana

Once in Havana, the best option for getting around on a budget is the Taxi Collectivos. This is what we used to get from the airport to our Casa Particulare. Before getting in the taxi, negotiate the price. Since there is very limited Wifi, make sure that you screenshot your hotel name before you fly.

There are taxi ranks around the city to find a collectivo. Your accomdations will likely be able to help you find the nearest one.

The other option is to travel around in the old-style cars. Definitely, you should do this at least once during your trip! Since these tend to be in higher demand, the prices might be a bit more than a collectivo. We did a small portion of a pre-arranged tour in order to save money. Basically, we just drove up the Malecon and back.

The cars are ready for you!

Where to Stay in Havana

Many people stay in resorts while in Cuba. Not only is this not the budget friendly option, it is not the culture immersive option.

Casa particulares are essentially an Airbnb. You get to stay in the home of a local. This is the best way of finding budget accommodations while getting to experience culture. Airbnb does work in Cuba, so have a look there. Or, we found ours by searching online. I did hear stories of people showing up without having booked accomdation and just wandering the streets looking for casas. But, this is a bit too risky for my comfort.

Important things to pack

After Sun

Sunscreen

Bug spray

Walking shoes

I had a hard time finding these things, in fact the only place that I could was in a big, fancy hotel shop.

Know Before You Go

Visas- I went to Cuba from Miami as this is where my friend and I met up. Even though neither one of us was American, we still had to pay $50 for a US visa simply because we were travelling from USA. We had booked a tour of Vinales before leaving and used this as our People-to-People interaction for the visa. Check to see if you need a visa from your country here.

Money- We brought Canadian dollars as we had heard that they are easier to exchange. There are some reports that USD gets surcharged. Try to bring enough cash for your entire trip. Both of us had trouble getting our cards to work at ATMs. And you can exchange money at the airport.

CUP is used by the locals. CUC is the tourist currency, so you’ll most likely be using this. While we didn’t experience it, we have heard that sometimes you’ll pay in CUC but get your change in CUP. So double check your bills if you are concerned about it.

Don’t check a bag. Bags take so long to get.

I know a little bit of Spanish but we didn’t have much trouble finding people who speak English.

Best Drinks

El Floridita- Hemmingway popularized this bar with his bold statements about their dacquiris being the best in the world. El Floridita is understandably, a bit touristy, and the food was a bit pricey. However, pop in for a drink. The day we swung by, there was live music.

Mojito Mojito- Again, another place with live music. The food was good and the drinks are always good in Cuba. However, I mention Mojito Mojito because I bought the most amazing painting from a local shop nearby. Eduardo opened his shop at 6:30 am to meet me to purchase it before my flight as I didn’t have enough cash on me at the time. If you’re in Havana, you should try and find his shop. He is talented.

La Bodeguita Del Medio- Have a mojito.

I love this man.

Tastiest Food in Havana

While in Cuba, I refused to believe that all of the food would be bland. The embargo has made it harder to find certain ingredients but this will likely change. In the meantime, these places all served great food. All of these places were very affordable. With most food items being under 10 CUC.

Hotel Saratoga- We went up to the rooftop pool and ordered Cuban Sandwiches. Not only were they divine but the view was stellar.

Los Nardos- We waited a very long time to get in here. However, once inside the décor was rustic and the food delicious. This was the only expensive place that we ate at while in Havana (By expensive, I mean that it was more than $15).

Café Paris- We found Café Paris to be a little hit or miss. The first time we went, we had amazing seafood pasta and great live music. However, we returned the next night and we were served mediocre Americanized food. They don’t actually serve all of the menu options every day.

La Abadia is located on the Malecon. Come for dinner so that you’ll be here for a sunset one night. We got the arroz la abadia which was a delectable seafood dinner.

La Abadia disappears into the buildings around it.

We didn’t make it to Café O’Reilly 304 but it was highly recommended by a friend who said that the food was amazing.

Sia Kara Bar- We had great food and great drinks for wonderful prices.

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About Me

Hi, I'm Arielle and these are my adventures. I seek budget travel, good food, and authentic experiences all in the name of completing my bucket list. I love cats, books, and anything Harry Potter. You can expect to hear from me every second Tuesday with updates on my quest to complete my bucket list by 40 years old. Read More…